9:31 p.m. MT — It wasn’t without drama, but Holland kept the Braves off the board in the ninth, preserving the win and the shutout to cap off a great night at 20th and Blake.
Rockies win, 3-0.
9:15 p.m. MT — A two-run single off the bat of Carlos Gonzalez gives the Rockies a 3-0 lead and a nice cushion for Greg Holland entering the ninth. Big-time stuff from CarGo, whose struggles have been extremely well documented.
9:06 p.m. MT — After a strong inning from Mike Dunn, Charlie Blackmon led off the bottom of the eighth with a triple and Gerardo Parra brought him in with a grounder that was misplayed by Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson. It’s a 1-0 lead for the Rockies, who have faced two former teammates—Rex Brothers and Jason Motte—this inning.
8:51 p.m. MT — Welp. Rockies aren’t able to get Bettis a win, and that’s a real shame. They had runners on first and second with no outs in the seventh and couldn’t even move anyone over. Here’s the last pitch of the inning. Not great, Alexi:
I mean pic.twitter.com/Gr3LKe8zMF
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) August 15, 2017
Bettis’ final line: seven innings, six hits, no runs, no walks, and two strikeouts. He induced 12 ground outs and threw 63 of 90 pitches for strikes. What a story, regardless of the game’s outcome.
8:43 p.m. MT — Rockies are threatening in the seventh. And, here’s the below conversation in video form:
Cool moment between @cbettis35 and manager, Bud Black... Bettis (cancer fighter) worked 7 shutout innings in first @MLB start of the season. pic.twitter.com/EvXO3RoV8X
— Nick Griffith (@NickGriffithTV) August 15, 2017
8:37 p.m. MT — “Hell of a job.” Bud Black is the coolest dad.
@ATTSportsNetRM caught a really, really special moment between Chad Bettis and Bud Black. pic.twitter.com/qacLrp3ZNd
— Ronnie K (@RonnieKRadio) August 15, 2017
8:31 p.m. MT — And then what happened?
Phenomenal work by Chad Bettis. Seven scoreless.
8:29 p.m. MT — Bettis is back out for the seventh and promptly serves up a leadoff double to Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki. Chad will have his work cut out for him here in his attempt to keep the game scoreless.
8:19 p.m. MT — It’s a 1-2-3 sixth inning for Bettis, who got a generous strike three call with Nick Markakis at the plate to end the frame. Bettis has earned his success in six scoreless innings, though; he’s induced 11 ground-ball outs and is peppering the strike zone.
8:13 p.m. MT — After striking out in his first two plate appearances, Blackmon had one of the best swings of the night for the Rockies but the ball died at the track in center field. No score through five, and the Rockies have just three singles. Pressing a little bit offensively while trying to help Bettis, it appears.
7:56 p.m. MT — Bettis gets his first strikeout of the evening in the top of the fifth, getting Braves rookie Ozzie Albies swinging. Still no score!
7:42 p.m. MT — LeMahieu made an excellent play diving to his left to save a run and keep the scoreless tie intact heading into the bottom of the fourth. DJ is having an incredible year in the field.
7:32 p.m. MT — Well, so much for that. DJ LeMahieu lines into an inning-ending double play. Story doubled off at second following a Charlie Blackmon strikeout. Still scoreless.
7:24 p.m. MT — In his first plate appearance of 2017, Bettis draws a walk and the Rockies are in business in the third.
7:07 p.m. MT — The Rockies’ offense has been shut down through two, but Bettis has also kept Atlanta off the board. Oh, and here’s the video of that wild first play of the game:
7:00 p.m. MT — Bettis didn’t break to first on a grounder to Mark Reynolds that he presumably thought was foul, but Reynolds made a terrific play to slide into the bag and get the out anyway. He’ll probably forgive Bettis on this occasion. Great play.
6:47 p.m. MT — Bettis allowed the “triple” to Inciarte and a single to Freddie Freeman, but otherwise the Braves did no damage against him in the first. If Bettis was battling his emotions, he certainly didn’t show it while working in the low 90s with a well-located fastball.
6:46 p.m. MT — Here’s Bettis taking the field, and it was glorious.
Welcome back, @cbettis35!#Together pic.twitter.com/I2QuKbOfgt
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 15, 2017
6:43 p.m. MT — Can you believe this? Ender Inciarte lined a ball under the glove of Gerardo Parra in left field, then was thrown out at the plate by Trevor Story while trying to stretch it into an inside-the-park home run. We are definitely off and running!
6:39 p.m. MT — Chad Bettis kicked cancer in the face and now he’s back with the Rockies and ready to help the team work toward capturing their first postseason berth in eight years. The righty received a huge ovation while making his way from the bullpen to the dugout, and another one while taking the mound.